April 15 devotion

You can watch today's devotion here.

We sleep and then we rise.

1 Corinthians 15:17-20

4/15/20

Pastor John C. Berg

¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then it also follows that those who fell asleep in Christ perished. ¹⁹ If our hope in Christ applies only to this life, we are the most pitiful people of all. ²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

This is your daily devotion for April 15^th.  I’m seeing more and more of it, not in my real life but online-that criticism of Christianity that goes something like “Where is your God now?”  How can you believe in a loving God when he kills people with a virus all over the world?

There is of course a false premise to this question.  God does not kill people.  Death is the result of sin.  There is a legitimate concern, though.  How can we believe that God is powerful and loving when he allows terrible things like pandemics, terrorists attacks, hurricanes and famines?  Part of the answer is perspective.  When we are in the middle of a tragedy we often can’t see the full context of God’s influence in the world.  What about all the blessings we experience?  Consider how it’s really impossible for us to know how much God restrains tragedies from being even worse. 

Let’s be honest. If that’s all we can say, it’s a little bit lacking, isn’t it?  Fortunately there is much more we can say.   It’s all about the resurrection.  1 Corinthians 15:17-20 says ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then it also follows that those who fell asleep in Christ perished. ¹⁹ If our hope in Christ applies only to this life, we are the most pitiful people of all. ²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

If the only blessings God gave us were for this life than we would be pitiful.  If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead than all of Christianity is pointless.  But Jesus did rise from the dead.  If you have some questions about that fact please watch yesterday’s devotion.

Jesus’ resurrection means you too will rise from the dead.  For the Christian death is but a sleep.  As I hear the news of how many people have died in New York and Italy, as I see images like bodies stacked in vacant rooms in a Detroit hospital I can’t help but consider how terrifying this must all be for people who think this life is all there is.  It’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ that spares you that terror.  He who conquered death with raise you from the dead and give you a perfect, glorified body.  That’s where God is. 

I have two moments of joy to share with you today.  Haden Werner of Divinity has been working at Target and recently had a customer give him a gift card and say “This is for you.  Thank you for stepping up and working through this.”  Today is baptism birthday of Moira Julian from St. John.

Let’s pray:   Heavenly Father, through baptism you adopted Moira as your child. Preserve her in faith so that she may spend eternity with you.  Thank you for moving people to show kindness and appreciation to essential workers like Haden.  We also praise for bringing Carole Edwards home from her recent hospitalization.  Amen.